Bare Metal in Error
by the-enigma-machine
Summary: Attention! Hedgehog located in west corridor. Engaging. Error! Hedgehog evading engagement. He is carrying something. Info: Hedgehog appears to be carrying...Metal Sonic? Error! Hedgehog ran straight through last line of defense. He is enroute to the doctor.


**A/N: This is a collab between the-clarity-organism and myself. I wrote Eggman/Metal and she wrote Sonic.**

How many times had Eggman sat in this fraying chair, in this dusty control room, eyes focused on this exact monitor, and watched that accursed rodent destroy his base? It was a loop. It all blurred together. Not just the video feed displayed in front of him—footage of Sonic was always blurred—but everything else too. Eggman had lived through this day countless times already, and he would no doubt face it so many more times in the future.

It would only end when he defeated that blasted hedgehog.

"Attention! All units stationed in the east corridor." The microphone was so close to his mouth that he was practically spitting on it. "We have a Code Blue. Take your stations and—"

A crash of steel. Eggman flinched. Any minute now, Sonic would burst through the wall to his room. Sonic was too good for doors. He always had to destroy as much of Eggman's expensive equipment as he could, and—

The automatic doors to the room opened with a soft click.

The blur flew in and focused, leaving Sonic standing there. While Eggman had expected a snarky grin or at least a sly smile, Sonic instead had a nervous frown on, complete with furrowed brows. In his arms, to Eggman's continued surprise, was Metal Sonic.

"What happened to Metal?" Sonic asked, his voice rushed and loud, but not harsh. He sped towards Eggman, holding Metal Sonic close as if he were something special. "He collapsed out of nowhere, and I can't get him to wake up!"

Eggman pushed his palm to Sonic's forehead, trying to shove him away. This hedgehog always did have a problem with personal space. "Get down. Your breath stinks. What are you...is that...Metal Sonic?"

It was Metal Sonic. He was lying like a ragdoll in Sonic's arms, his optical screen deactivated.

"What—" Eggman rounded a fist and slammed the desk in front of him. "What did you do to him?"

Sonic's ears pinned back, his concerned expression immediately becoming offended. "I didn't do _anything!_ "

He glared down Eggman, looking unusually upset at his comment. "Metal just passed out, okay? I don't know what happened but I didn't do it!"

"Oh, I'm sure you did absolutely nothing to my robot. Of course." Eggman leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head. He paused there for a moment then slammed his open palms against the desk, standing up. "Because it's not like _you've_ ever destroyed my robots before."

"I would never do that to Metal!" Sonic hissed. He looked down to Metal, as if to make a comment, but any words he might've said died as he started at the empty optical screen.

The anger in Sonic's face faded, the concern returning as he looked back up at Eggman. "Can't you fix him?"

Eggman folded his arms. "Explain what happened to Metal Sonic. And why do you care?"

"Why I—" Suddenly, Sonic's eyes widened, as if realization struck. He bit his lower lip, avoiding Eggman's gaze.

"We were hanging out?" He'd said it as if it was completely normal. "That's it. We were just out by the edge of the forest talking. Mets said he had he had something important to tell me and then..."

Sonic's gaze dropped to the floor.

"Nothing."

"You were _hanging out?_ 'Mets.' You—" Eggman leaned back on his desk, steadying himself. Why did the room suddenly feel like it was spinning? "And how long has this 'hanging out' been happening?"

"A while?" Sonic answered quickly, sounding impatient. "Look, I don't remember and it's not important! Probably a few months? A year? I don't know!"

"A... _year_?!" Eggman fell back into his chair, rubbing his head, staring at the ceiling.

His robot.

Sonic.

A whole year?

What in the world was going on?

"So. You and my robot have been…" Eggman stuck out his tongue, looking as if he had just swallowed an insect. "...'hanging out.' For a year. Behind my back."

"Metal knew you'd try and stop it if we told you!"

Sonic sighed, holding Metal with one arm and using his free hand to rub at his head. Even by Sonic-standards, the complete lack of patience was _insane._ "Look, if you can't do anything, fine. I'll take him to Tails instead."

Eggman could see it now: Tails. The pathetic fox. Opening his robot. Smashing everything inside like a toddler searching for candy in a china shop.

"No, no! Don't be ridiculous. Tails doesn't have _nearly_ the advanced equipment for that."

Eggman stood up, offering both his hands to Sonic. "Give him to me. No one else is going to fix him."

Sonic reeled back at first, hesitating for a moment then gently setting Metal into Eggman's waiting hands. Now Metal-less, he twiddled his fingers mindlessly.

"Jumpy much, rodent? What's gotten into you?" Eggman strolled up to the wall. There, a series of buttons laid on a control panel. Eggman tapped them absently.

Sonic didn't respond, eyes locked on Metal. It was like he hadn't even heard Eggman at all.

A panel in the wall dropped open, revealing a folded-up workbench. It shook slightly, and in one, smooth motion, it popped free from the wall, folding into a large, steel table. Eggman casually deposited Metal on the table. He turned around, snapping his fingers in front of Sonic's face.

"Someone's a bit of a space cadet today, eh?"

"What?" Sonic blinked, coming back to reality. He looked up at Eggman, but only for a moment, as if averting his eyes from Metal would make Metal disappear.

Sonic dashed over, placing his hands on the side of the table. "Metal?"

He didn't look surprised when Metal failed to come on, but he did look disappointed. "He always came off sleep mode when I called him before..."

Eggman raised an eyebrow. "You do know he's crashed, right? Kaputt. This isn't sleep mode I'm sorry to say. Also—"

Eggman pressed another button on the console, and two, large computer monitors descending from the ceiling. Eggman then leaned down and tilted Metal's head back with the back of his palm.

"—what in the world was Metal doing in _sleep mode_ around you?"

"Uh—" Sonic cleared his throat, realizing just how much he was giving away.

"Well, he stayed over—" Sonic paused then said a greatly diminished a number. "—a couple times?"

Sonic's heart sank. Why had Metal crashed? Was there a problem? Why wouldn't Metal tell him if there was?

Eggman pulled a wire from the wall, snapping it into a small slot beneath Metal's chin. He paused, rubbing his bald head for a moment, then adjusted the hanging monitors so the white terminal text was easier to read.

"Metal Sonic stayed over. At your place. 'A couple of times'? And what exactly were the two of you doing?"

Sonic raised a brow, looking at Eggman oddly. "What did you _think_ we were doing? We just talk."

"What? No, that isn't—ugh, nevermind." Eggman pulled a stool beside the table and sat in for awhile, rubbing his face. This was _absolutely_ ridiculous.

He shook his head then pulled a small keyboard from the bottom of the table, typing.

"So what were the two of you talking about during these oh-so-infrequent nightly visits?"

"What we..." Sonic shifted his gaze to the side. "Not much. Nature? Culture? That sort of thing?"

Eggman wrinkled his nose. This whole mess was fishy, in more way than one, and while Sonic was about as good at lying as he was at swimming, his voice was irritating.

"There's more than one way to skin a hedgehog," Eggman muttered under his breath. He typed furiously on the keyboard then hit the return key with a single, grand flourish.

Text flowed across the monitors so rapidly it merged into a single, pouring stream of white. Eggman hit the key again and it stopped.

"Let's review the stack trace, hmm? It looks like a doozy."

"The what?" Sonic asked as he leaned towards the monitor, sounding way too curious for a hedgehog who hated tech-related talk.

"The stack trace—it's the sequence of commands Metal's system was running up until he crashed. It's the only way to debug whatever garbage you mucked up his OS with."

"Oh..." Sonic said, still staring at the monitor. Did he not even _hear_ Eggman's insult, or was he just choosing not to acknowledge it?

"Hmm, let's sort this by earliest abnormal entry, hmm?" Eggman scrolled through the text, slowly this time, then paused. Rows of text unceremoniously adorned the screen, white on black.

Sonic joined Eggman in reading the text, hoping that they'd figure out what was wrong with Metal.

 _[INSERT LOG 0x002A entitled `Present`]_

 _$ I am trying to engage Sonic in combat, and yet Sonic is not holding up his half of the protocol. He keeps moving around my attacks, but not in simple evasions. Rather, he is taking great pains to move in an extreme fashion, such as spinning on his heels or flipping through the air. Why is he doing this? Does he not understand he is to uphold his half of our protocol?_

Sonic remembered this. It had been one year after he and Metal had officially met. It was like Metal's birthday in a way, and Sonic had wanted to do something special. Regardless of whether they were enemies or not, Sonic had still respected Metal. He was the only robot of Eggman's that had a real drive and desire.

 _$ When I ask for an explanation, Sonic simply smiles and reaches behind his back. I adopt COMBAT_STANCE 0xAF37, but this only inspires him to laugh and shake his head. He requests I hold out my hands for him, and despite the fact it is against SECURITY_PROTOCOL 0x0405, my curiosity gets the best of me, and I heed his request._

Sonic smiled fondly at the memory. He had many souvenirs from Little Planet, and had fashioned a bracelet out of stone he had found from Quartz Quadrant. Metal had been so unbelievably confused at the time that giving Metal the present had been worth it just for the reaction.

"What—" Eggman started. "He violated the rules! It's right here in the log—he overrode the security protocol! Why that no good, rusty old—"

"Excuse you!" Sonic barked back. "Metal can do whatever he wants!"

He paused, glancing back at the log, then smirked. "Besides, it might be _your_ security protocol, but you must not've programmed Metal exactly how you wanted to. He got curious because you didn't."

Eggman slammed the workbench with his fist, causing Metal's lifeless body to shake slightly. "You're a master programmer are you now, hedgehog? This is all your fault you know!"

Taking a deep breath, Eggman leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let's just get this over with."

" _My_ fault? How do you know that? We haven't even finished reading yet," Sonic pointed out. "But fine, let's."

 _[INSERT LOG 0x01FD entitled `Screening`]_

 _$ I am on my way to Sonic's house today. He had invited me over earlier for something called a 'movie screening.' This term is not very descriptive. I had initially thought it mean we were to repair my optical screen while moving, but Sonic explained we are actually going to watch a motion picture film at his house. I still believe the term to be inaccurate, but Sonic will not argue the point with me. He merely smiles and nods whenever I try to bring it up._

 _$ Nevertheless, I find the prospect intriguing. While Sonic and I have been meeting on a regular basis, this will be the first time I visit his home, and I am curious to see what it is like._

"He whAAT—" Eggman shot Sonic a furious glance. "You...you were hanging out with him? At your _house_?! I demand an explanation for this insubordination!"

"Okay, hold up! _I_ invited _him,_ okay?" Sonic retorted, immediately rising to Metal's defense. "If you're gonna blame anyone, blame me!"

Eggman pointed a finger at Sonic. "Oh believe me, rodent, I am most certainly blaming you. You might refuse to tell me, but I will figure out what you've done to my robot. You'll see!"

Eggman turned back to the log, scrolling through the next piece.

 _$ This movie is incredibly dull. I am supposed to watch this? But it is obviously not realistic. Explosions in space do not make sound. Fire does not work that way. Where are they getting the oxygen?_

 _$ I suppose it does not matter. I do not care for this film, and apparently, neither does Sonic. I know this because he has fallen asleep next to me. Or, perhaps, that is not fully accurate. Sonic has fallen asleep on me with his head resting on my shoulder and his arms wrapped around my chest._

"Now see here—" Eggman turned to Sonic, leaning up over his chair and looming over the hedgehog. "This... _this..._ is what you need to explain. Immediately. Why were you _sleeping on my robot?!_ "

Sonic flushed, but raised his hands up defensively. "Okay, _that one_ was an accident!"

The particular night mentioned in Metal's log had been a long time ago, but Sonic remembered enough to know that he hadn't _meant_ to fall asleep on Metal.

"All I remember is a boring movie and leaning against the warmest thing in the room, which just _happened_ to be Metal. That was _it._ "

"Maybe _you_ are disgusting and pathetic," Eggman poked Sonic's chest, "but I am certain Metal Sonic showed proper discipline. Here—"

Eggman returned to the feed.

 _$ I must confess that he had fallen asleep nearly half an hour ago. That was the only reason I am still watching this movie, dull as it may be. I do not want to get up. That would disturb Sonic._

 _$ Sonic is so peaceful asleep. It is amazing really. He is ordinarily so hyper, so rambunctious, and yet while he is asleep, all of that changes. I can feel his breath against my cheek. He is so close to me. I really should take him to bed. I should tuck him in._

 _$ It would be so easy to leave him here. It would be so easy to wrap my arm around him. I could enter sleep mode myself. It would then be just the two of us here, on this couch. I know these circumstances would constitute PRECONDITION_FAILED 0x0412, but...I still wonder what it would be like._

Eggman said nothing. He simply stared at the screen, mouth open. It was only when the inside of his mouth began to feel actually dry that he turned to Sonic.

"You...you—" Eggman's face grew red and hot. "You... _you seduced my robot—!_ "

"I-I what?!" Sonic asked, clearly flustered as he turned back to Eggman. "What are you talking about? He didn't move, so what?"

Sonic shook his head, trying to clear his own thoughts. Metal was admiring him while he was sleeping? It didn't mean anything like what Eggman was implying. Surely. And yet—

Sonic hadn't realized Metal had felt that way.

"I don't know if you're lying or if you're really that stupid. Probably both." Eggman groaned. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his head. "I'm afraid to read what's next."

 _[INSERT LOG 0x06AC entitled `Like`]_

 _$ I had a curious experience today. It happened when I asked Sonic why the pink one follows him around so much. He said it was because she likes him. At first, this was confusing to me, but I have sense learned there is more than one definition for 'like.'_

 _$ Using this information, I was able to derive many possible solutions. By definition, I like a lot of things. I like observing nature. I like learning about Mobian interaction. I like deriving these conclusions._

 _$ However, the levels of 'like' I feel when directed towards Sonic are different. I like it when Sonic smiles. I like it when he gets excited. I like it when he grabs my hand to lead me somewhere. I like how kind he is. I like the way his fur feels against my hand._

 _$ Liking merely one of these things is but one measurement of 'like.' Yet what does it mean when these likes are combined into one being? What does it mean to like, truly like, everything a person is?_

 _$ Everytime I attempt to analyze this question, it leads to nothing but errors. Perhaps this is because I have not yet told Sonic of my feelings. It is hardly fair for me to feel this way yet not share my feelings with him. I must tell him the next opportunity I have._

Sonic's heart skipped a beat. Metal liked him, liked _everything_ about him?

 _Loved_ him?

No, of course not. Metal wasn't...Metal was...

The denial in Sonic's head cleared completely. He looked over to the deactivated Metal, unaware of how hot his own face felt.

Eggman had his fingers over his face, and he was glaring at Sonic between the gaps.

"Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. You know, rodent, this is a new low, even for you. You are pathetic. You are disgusting.

"And you know what?" Eggman pushed himself out of his chair. He was positively looming over Sonic. "I'm done with this. Done! I can't read this!"

He turned, storming over to the door with his fists clenched. Just before he crossed the threshold, he shouted over his shoulder, "This is all your fault, you know. _You seduced my_ _robot!_ "

And before Sonic even had time to respond, he was gone.

Sonic had hardly heard Eggman, the doctor's voice having sounded like it was run through an underwater filter. Sonic stared blankly at Metal's logs, trying to process what it was telling him.

"N-no. No, I don't have time to think about this," he decided, rubbing his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. "I can talk to Mets about this later. I have to figure out what's wrong with him first."

He scrolled through the logs himself, his free hand unconsciously gripping Metal's.

 _[INSERT LOG 0x0D31 entitled `Fans`]_

 _$ I need to tell Sonic soon. It has been several weeks since my prior resolution, and yet I have simply not had the appropriate opportunity. Either Sonic has been surrounded by his friends at all times or Eggman has deployed me to remote regions of the globe. But I must tell him._

 _$ I will tell him today. I have the opportunity. He is walking next to me now, for we have joined each other today to go sightseeing along the Station Square boardwalk. It is just the two of us. Ahead, we will be passing the corner, and it should be quiet on the other side._

 _$ Although...this is anomalous. The boardwalk is approximately 345% busier than usual today. Further, the gender ratio is highly skewed female. I wonder why?_

Sonic let his mind drift back to the day mentioned. He had no idea that Metal had anything on his mind at the time. He recalled Metal seeming particularly distracted, but he thought it was the lights or sounds of the boardwalk...before they turned that corner, of course.

He felt sick at the memory of all the fans—particularly fangirls—that had been there. It wasn't that he hated his fans, but they had interrupted his nice time with Metal.

 _$ This is it. I will tell him now. People or no people I will—_

 _$ Someone is approaching Sonic. She is closing in on us. She is too close. She is—_

 _$ She is hugging Sonic! She did that without even saying anything, and now there is another one coming up from behind. I must intercept her. I must protect Sonic. I must—_

 _$ Sonic is...laughing? He is not fighting them. He is shaking her hand. She is laughing too, and she has something...a photograph?...in her hand. She hands it to Sonic, and he grins sheepishly, pulling out a pen and signing his name along the bottom._

 _$ They are fans. That is what they are. Of course. I should have known. Sonic has fans._

 _$ Sonic smiles at everyone._

 _$ I am an idiot._

"Metal..."

Sonic frowned. He had never noticed. Metal was his friend, and yet Sonic had never noticed how Metal felt.

He clutched Metal's hand tighter, sighing at the limp hand that wasn't clutching back.

"You're not an idiot."

There was one last log.

 _[̴I̸N̵S̴E̴R̸T̴ ̷L̷O̸G̴ ̵0̸x̵0̷D̵3̸1̵ ̶e̶n̸t̸i̴t̵l̶e̸d̸ ̴F̵A̵I̵L̴E̵D̸_̶T̴O̴_̷L̷O̷A̴D̷_̶R̶E̵S̴O̸U̷R̵C̸E̵]̶_

 _$ It has been at least N̶̘͕̅a̸̛̻N̴̢̹̾̒%̷̗͝ weeks since I last saw Sonic. I cannot help but think of him. Even when I try to purge the thoughts from my system, they return. Always Sonic. Always his smile._

 _$ I am meeting him at the edge of the forest today. He will be here in a few moments. I showed up early. I had to...I had to think._

 _$ To like someone. I looked up what it meant. I understand now. [̸E̸R̴R̵O̴R̷:̷ ̷H̵e̴ ̶w̵o̷u̸l̶d̸ ̸n̴o̴t̸ ̷l̴i̵k̸e̷ ̵y̴o̴u̸ ̴b̴a̸c̵k̶]̴_

 _$ Sonic is approaching along the path. He is coming toward me. He is smiling at me. I would smile back if I could. [̸E̵R̵R̴O̸R̴:̴ ̶I̸t̷ ̶i̶s̶ ̶i̵m̵p̶o̶s̷s̴i̵b̴l̴e̵]̷_

 _$ I would do...so many things...if I could. [̸E̸R̷R̶O̸R̶:̵ ̷D̸o̴ ̶n̸o̶t̷ ̴w̶i̴s̵h̷ ̵f̸o̶r̸ ̴t̸h̴e̷ ̶i̶m̵p̵o̵s̶s̶i̶b̴l̸e̴]̴_

 _$ I will speak to him now. [̸E̶R̸R̶O̷R̶:̶ ̷T̶h̷e̶s̵e̸ ̷t̴h̴o̵u̷g̷h̸t̷s̷ ̸a̴r̵e̴ ̵i̵m̷p̶o̴s̴s̷i̸b̴l̷e̷s̶]̵_

 _$ I will tell him. [̶E̵R̶R̷O̷R̷:̴ ̴T̴h̴e̷s̶e̵ ̶f̶e̴e̶l̵i̴n̸g̶s̷ ̶a̴r̶e̷ ̵i̴m̶p̷o̴s̸s̷i̴b̸l̵e̶.̵]̴_

 _$ I will confess. [̵E̴R̶R̶O̵R̶:̵ ̶Y̶o̴u̵ ̷a̴r̸e̶ ̶i̴m̴p̶o̵s̸s̷i̸b̷l̴e̷.̶]̴_

 _$ I will_

 _$ I_

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Guilt. That's all Sonic felt, and maybe something else. He'd had suspicions given the last entry, but now it was confirmed.

Eggman was right. This was his fault. Metal crashed because of _him._ He hadn't see what was right in front of his face, and now he was paying for it.

He looked at Metal for a long moment, waiting—hoping—that there would be some reaction.

Nothing.

He climbed onto the table, taking Metal back into his arms. And yet Metal was still just as unresponsive as he had been ever since he crashed.

"Metal..." Sonic sighed, bringing a hand up to slap his own face. " _I'm_ the idiot, not you."

The silence of the lab was eerie, and it slowly dawned on Sonic how much he missed the subtle light of Metal's eyes. While Metal was still emitting weak heat and some semblance of sounds, it only made it all the more obvious Metal wasn't currently functioning as he should.

Sonic lifted Metal slightly, trying to feel the heat. It wasn't the same. This wasn't how things were supposed to be.

Even the sounds felt wrong. Sonic knew how Metal's processors usually sounded, and this was not it.

"You can't just leave me here, like this," Sonic muttered. He gestured toward the log on the screen. "Not after all that."

Metal was his friend; a great friend who was also in love with him.

"You planned on telling me, but you crash instead because, what?"

And how did Sonic feel about it? His first reaction had been denial. But hadn't it made him happy at first, to hear that Metal cared about him so much?

"You go and crash and leave me feeling...like _this._ "

Sonic flushed, running a hand through his quills. He really was the idiot. The _robot_ figured it out faster than he did.

"M-metal..." He swallowed, trying to keep his head clear. "Come on. You always bounced back before. You've gotta come back to me."

Metal was so close. He could vaguely see his own reflection staring back at him in Metal's armor.

Sonic breathed. He would make this right, somehow.

He pulled Metal upwards, placing an inexperienced kiss on the robot's cheek. "I can't accept your confession if you're not around to give it."

The room was still. Eggman was gone, and the base was surprisingly quiet. The only noise was the gentle hum of Metal's fans and the soft rhythm of Sonic's breath.

Metal was still. He was lying inert in Sonic's arms, his screen still blank, his body with its uncanny warmth.

The hum of Metal's fans grew.

It was subtle at first, unnoticable under ordinary circumstances, and yet in the quiet room, it was impossible to avoid. The hum grew louder, and louder, and louder—

It stopped.

A surge of panic hit Sonic. The humming hadn't been much, but it was still Metal, and the sudden lack of it was scary.

"Metal?" he called, desperation in his tone. His hand travelled to Metal's face, resting on Metal's cheek as Sonic stared into the dark void of Metal's optical screen.

Where was the sound? Why was there no sound?!

Something brushed Sonic's hand. Weak, feeble, but it was there. A flash of red. Two ovals condensing in front of him.

"S-sonic?"

Sonic's eyes widened. "M-mets?"

He stared for a long moment, blinking a few times to make sure that he wasn't seeing things. His face lit up.

"METAL!"

He embraced Metal tightly, not caring if Metal was too out of it to hug back or not. He didn't know what did it, but it honestly didn't matter to him. Metal was awake again.

He pulled away to look at Metal's face again. His voice came out rushed, as if he had a million thoughts that he was trying to get out all at once. "You're okay! I mean, _are_ you okay? You crashed and then I took you here but you woke up, so you're more okay than before, right? Those errors didn't do anything to you did they? I-just-need-to-make-sure-because-actually-never-mind."

He brought Metal back to him in a swift motion, kissing Metal firmly on his muzzle.

Metal's eyes stared at his for a moment, sometimes growing fuzzy, sometimes sharpening back into their chrisp forms on his optical screen. His fan whirled as well, quietly, then loudly, then quietly again. Metal's hand was shaking. Gently, he rested it against the downy fur that covered Sonic's face.

His eyes widened.

"W-what happened? Where are—this is Eggman's engineering lab. How did we get here?"

Sonic pulled away, cheeks pink as he realized exactly what he did. Thankfully, it seemed like Metal wasn't focused on it.

"Oh, uh...well, after you crashed, I had to bring you here so Egghead could figure out what was wrong with you."

He cleared his throat. "He left a while ago...after reading some of your stack-something. S-sorry."

"Stack...something? Oh, you must mean stack trace. You both…read my stack trace."

Metal trailed off, his gaze focusing into the distance.

"Which...which ones…did you read? Did you read—"

"Y-yeah, I did."

Sonic's blush reddened. "He was looking for the first error or something, and we just kept reading from there. He left a little after the one about me falling asleep on you though."

Sonic wasn't sure that information would help Metal at all, but he had tried. He'd never seen Metal look so nervous before.

"O-oh. I see. So both of you saw."

Metal dropped his hand from Sonic's cheek, letting it lay limply at his side. He continued to stare into the distance, then suddenly, he brought his fingers to his muzzle.

"You—did you—"

Sonic grabbed the hand that was against Metal's muzzle, holding it in both of his own.

"Yeah." He avoided Metal's gaze, looking sheepish. "Sorry. This all happened way too fast, even for me. I wasn't really thinking about it. I just did it."

With his head still turned away, his eyes went to Metal's muzzle. "It wasn't _that_ bad, was it?"

"Oh. I see. You did it without meaning too…" Metal looked down at the floor. "It is alright. I understand. You could have anyone you want and I—"

Metal shook his head. "I am but a machine after all."

"Okay, _whoa._ "

Sonic immediately clasped his hand over Metal's muzzle. "Just because I didn't _mean_ to doesn't mean it didn't _mean_ anything."

His other hand tightened its grip on Metal's hand, his gaze serious. "That's really what you think? That I care about you being a robot?"

He paused, the seriousness melting away into something more playful. "I didn't know you thought I was that shallow, Mets. I'm hurt."

Metal flushed slightly. He couldn't help it. Sonic's hand was warm over his muzzle.

Just like the kiss had been.

"I do not understand. You do not care I am a robot? And the kiss did mean something, even if you did not mean for it to mean something? Are you implying—"

Sonic chuckled, rolling his eyes at Metal. "And I thought _I_ was the clueless one for a second there. Don't worry, we'll take it nice and slow."

He moved the hand that was against the front of Metal's muzzle, letting it rest against Metal's cheek instead. Sonic's eyes were fond. "First off, of _course_ I don't care that you're a robot. Why would I? We've been friends for at least a year now. Why would _this_ be any different?

"And second, sure, I didn't mean to just kiss you like that..." He coughed, mumbling, "I like to think I'm a little more smooth than that."

He waved a hand dismissively. "But, yeah, it meant something. It happened because I was so happy to get you back, you know?"

Metal paused. "You said it is not any different…"

His eyes grew brighter. "Y-you mean—"

Shaking, Metal brought his hands up to Sonic's cheeks. He let them rest there for a moment, taking in the warmth of Sonic's fur and of his smile.

"I am happy to be back too," Metal said quietly, "with you."

Sonic nodded, placing his hands over the ones on his cheeks. "So, no more crashing?"

He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Metal's. His voice was serious. "Don't _ever_ think that you're not enough for me or whatever, okay? If I can have anyone I want, I want _you._ "

Metal nuzzled Sonic's forehead. Was this real? Was all this really happening to him? He didn't just crash and now he was imagining all of this?

No...it was real. Sonic really felt the same way he did.

"I am so glad," Metal croaked, "I am just...so glad. I truly did not think—and yet you really are here, and you feel the same as I."

Metal lunged forward, burying himself in Sonic's embrace.

Sonic sighed in contentment, cherishing the warmth Metal gave off. It didn't feel as odd as he thought it would, but then again, his feelings hadn't really changed.

He had only acknowledged them.

Sonic held Metal's shoulders, pushing Metal back just slightly, then leaned for Metal's muzzle. He wanted to do it intentionally this time...

Metal hesitated, but only for a moment. As soon as he recognized Sonic's gesture, he tilted his own head, leaning in toward Sonic.

"Stop! _Stop it!_ "

It was Eggman. He was standing in the doorway, fists clenched and face red.

"You are not...I repeat, you _are not_ allowed to kiss my robot, pincushion!"

Sonic jerked his head over, slightly flustered, but not surprised. They _were_ in Eggman's lab, after all.

He hummed, as if pretending to absorb Eggman's words, then smirked, looking back at Metal. "Hear that, Mets? Apparently, I'm not allowed to kiss you."

Metal's optics glistened, as if he were smiling.

"True. Perhaps you are not allowed to kiss me."

Metal reached up, wrapping his hands around Sonic's head, Sonic's muzzle toward his own.

"...but I am permitted to kiss you."

Metal pressed his muzzle to Sonic's lips.

Sonic's ears perked, his eyes closing as he leaned into Metal's kiss. It was inexperienced —he expected that—but no less loving because of it. Plus, Metal was warm. _Extremely_ warm. He missed it so much and Metal hadn't even been gone for more than an hour.

"Oh yeah," Sonic chimed, almost dreamily. "You are _super_ permitted to kiss me."

"Nooooooo," Eggman's scream was so loud as to be incomprehensible. He leaned against the wall with one hand, the other hand clenched in front of him, and yet he did not enter the room. It was as if he were afraid that whatever insanity had overcome Metal were an infectious disease. "Metal—you...you—traitor!"

"So, Metal," Sonic said playfully, trailing a hand along Metal's chest and completely ignoring Eggman. "What do you say we ditch ol' Egghead and catch up on that time you missed?"

Eggman continued to screech in the background, but Metal couldn't really hear him. Not with Sonic so close like this.

Metal brought his own hand up, gently resting it on Sonic's chest.

"I would very much like that," Metal said quietly.

Sonic grinned, taking Metal in his arms and hopping off the table.

Tilting his head back towards the door, he shouted, "Thanks, Eggman! You were a big help!"

Metal lifted his head, just slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of the furious Dr. Eggman. His skin was even redder than the time he had gotten locked out, all day, on the Egg Carrier's deck, and he was spitting as he screamed.

Metal buried his face into Sonic's shoulder.

Sonic lunged toward the door. Eggman was still standing in the threshold, but Sonic raced past him. He slowed down just enough to give the doctor a quick thumbs-up as he past.

"Stop it! Stop it! _Stoooooop_ ," Eggman screamed. The corridor stretch into the distance before him. It was so long. He had to watch it for such a long time. His arch-nemesis carry away his greatest creation—his _expensive_ greatest creation—and the corridor kept going.

And they had kissed.

Worse, _they had kissed twice_.

Eggman clutched the wall and screamed.


End file.
